Critic Reviews

Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell for the GameBoy Advance is a great game. The transfer from 3D to 2D was done exceptionally well. The graphics are detailed, colorful and full of depth. The sounds only add more to the game. Gameplay is exceptionally easy and the game itself is very fun to play. Splinter Cell has a lot of the feeling of its 3D big brother, and you will recognize pretty much everything in 2D that you saw in the 3D version. $29.99 is not that bad for this title and you will get your moneys worth with the extra levels, as well as the GameCube/GameBoy Advance connection.

Splinter Cell was a great game on the consoles and PC and remains a great game on the GBA. The graphics and sound are awesome and will remind you of the other versions. The gameplay is very similar as well and this is the best it could have been done. If you have a GBASP, you’ll enjoy the graphics even more. If you own the Gamecube version, you’ll get even more levels. Overall, for a measly $29.99 you get a great game.

If you had told me that Splinter Cell on the Game Boy Advance was going to be an innovative title which expands on 2D gameplay, I would have called you a nihilist and thrown a bowling ball into your abdomen. But it's true! This is a clever, contagious game that matches the thrills of its next-gen brothers.

While it’s impossible to display all of the innovative features of the console version, Splinter Cell for the GBA is still able to capture all the intensity and thrilling action. Although the stealth segments could have been handled a little better, gamers will enjoy all the cool moves Sam Fisher has at his disposal. And, to top it all off, you can download levels using your GameCube. What else can be said except for . . . buy this great game?

A few non-inclusions aside, the only big complaint is Splinter Cell's music, which isn't the best heard on the GBA. A couple of repetitive themes get annoying after a while -- especially the one cribbed from the Mission: Impossible song. Since sound stealth isn't a big concern, playing in silence is fine. But it's a small gripe, and Game Boy owners should be happy that Ubi Soft has seen fit to bless them along with every other gamer. Splinter Cell may not advance the platform in the same way it did next-gen consoles, but let's not get picky about an otherwise solid game.

Splinter Cell's appearance on the GBA shouldn't go unnoticed. It's a platformer with more than just jumping and crawling around, though it can get tiring for those looking for a more fast-paced adventure. If you haven't experienced Splinter Cell on the other systems, this version is a great place to start. Plus, additional bonuses open up if you connect the game to the GameCube version.

Splinter Cell for the Game Boy Advance isn't exactly a game for the Metal Gear Solid crowd, as its stealth portions require far less strategy; the enemies only have two directions to go, which makes them easy to read. No, this game is for the fans of the Prince of Persia genre, as the action is more structured in "figure out the puzzle" fashion; in fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the team that worked on this game is currently in development on Ubi Soft's GBA version of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. The engine is certainly capable and versatile enough. Even with the limited stealth portions of the game, Splinter Cell is a great and challenging action game with a good amount of extras if you're into that whole Connecting to the Cube thing.

The sad fact is if you already played the main story of Splinter Cell, it'll only give you cause to lament on what this game could have been. And I'm using the correct word: game, whereas on the Xbox, PC, GameCube and Playstation 2, it was more like an interactive DVD. Ironically, it's the gamer that never picked up Splinter Cell who might think this is a cool real world spin on your usual Mario, Crash Bandicoot or Spyro platform outing. With so much pizzazz on Splinter Cell the last six months or so, it'll be difficult to find anyone who is genuinely interested in Fisher and Co. and hasn't given it a try on the other platforms yet. This is a good standby but the superior title and the real challenge posed by Splinter Cell must be found on another system.

Splinter Cell on the GBA is very playable at times. It's never as tense as its console sibling, and it suffers from a few frustrating flaws, but the core sneak 'em up gameplay - evading enemies and cameras, silencing alarms, collecting data and using your spy tools - is well represented. Ubi has even thrown in some neat little sub-games like the aforementioned lock picking, and a Silent Scope-esque covert photography element midway through the game. Our main concern is that it won't last you anywhere near as long as the console version, but if you're looking to buy the Cube version as well, then you can download a further five levels using the link-up cable.

There are a few unlockable bonus missions in the game, and still more can be unlocked by those who link up the GBA and GameCube versions of Splinter Cell. But chances are, by the time you've finished the core missions, you'll have had your fill of the game's formula, as well as its little diversions like the lock-picking and the sniping. It's all mostly fun while it lasts, though. Splinter Cell for the GBA is ultimately a good effort at trying to capture the original game's suspenseful gameplay in a 2D side scroller--making for a different sort of action game--as well as a pretty faithful adaptation of Splinter Cell's original design. But it's of average quality overall when measured against the numerous outstanding side scrollers of the 16-bit era, many of which are available either true to form or spirit for the GBA.

Splinter Cell for the GBA is quite different from the console title on which it is based. It is primarly a platform-action title in the vein of Prince of Persia with a few added stealth elements. The story has been hacked up so severely that you'll have no idea what the plot is about if you haven't plaued the original. The violence has been toned down which is surprising considering that the original wasn't all that violent to begin with. GBA Splinter Cell is still somewhat enjoyable as long as you approach it with knowing it's more of a platformer than anything else, but fans of the original will likely be dissapointed.